Trousers-creaser.



PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905.

2 sums-4mm: 1.

T. J. HOWLETT. TROUSERS GREASBR. APPLICATION FILED JAN 23. x905 is ll! No. 802,810. PATENTBD OCT. 24, 1905. T. J. HOWLET T.

TROUSERS GREASER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1905.

2 SKEETSSHEIIT 2.

THOMAS J. HOVVLETJT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TROUSERS-CREASEW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed January 23, 1905. $erial No. 242,339.

To all whom it 'nuty concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J .,HOWLI11TT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of llllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trousers-Creasers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a device which is more especially intended to be used for creasing the legs of trousers, but which is also applicable for and may be employed to smooth or press the wrinkles out of ribbons, neckties, and the like or to crease other garments; and it consists in certain pe:

culiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a device of the above-named character which shall be compact in form. simple and inexpensive in construction, and effective in operation.

Another object of the invention is to com bine in a single device means for creasing or pressing the trousers-leg or other garment or article, means for applying a protecting-strip of cloth to each side of the garment or article, and means for moistening said strips, all of which operations can be performed at the same time and by one movement of the device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the leg of a pair of trousers, showing by dotted lines a trousers-creaser embodying one form of my invention in the act of being applied to the trousers-leg and by continuous lines in the act of creasing the same. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the creaser, showing a modification in the construction of the handles. Fig. 3 is a side View in elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a central sectional view of one of the spools which holds the protecting-strip of cloth. Fig. 5 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 6 is a central sectional view of one of the moistening-pads and its holder. Fig. 7 is a crosssectional view of the same. Fig. 8 is a central sectional view of one of the spools for the protecting cloth or strip, showing a modification'therein and illustrating it mounted on its shaft or axle; and Fig. 9 is a plan View thereof.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

The reference-numerals 15 and 16 designate tong-like members which are crossed ata point intermediate their ends and are pivotally secured together by meansof a bolt 17, located in said crossed portions. Each of these members is provided on one of its ends with a handle 18, preferably of wood, to protect the hand of the operator from the heat which may be imparted to the members 15 and 16 from the creasing-irons. The opposite ends of the members 15 and 16 from that on which the handles 18 are mounted are downturned, as at 19, and each of said downturned portions is provided with an angular opening 20 to receive a correspondingly-shaped projection 21 on the middle outer portion of each of the creasing-irons 22, which are preferably substantially rectangular in shape and have their adjacent surfaces liat'and smooth. Each of the members 15 and 16 is also preferably bent downwardly in front of their pivot-point, as at 23, in order to raise the handled por' tions slightly above the plane of the upper portion of the creasing-irons. At suitable distances to the rear of the irons 22 or between them and the pivot-point of the members 15 and 16 each of said members is provided with vertical openings 2 1 for the reception and retention of the shafts 25 and spindles 26 for the protecting-cloth-holding spools and for the moistening-pad holders, respectively.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, the shafts 25 and 26 are arranged in pairs, one of which is located in the openings 24 of one of the clamping members and the other pair-in the openings of the other of said members. It will also be observed by reference to said figures that each pair of said shafts and spindles is made of one piece 27, preferably of wire, and that the same is passed up through one of the openings 2 1 and then extends longitudinally on the upper surface of one of the clamping members and is then passed downwardly through the other opening 2 1 and then extends rearwardly and longitudinally near the lower surface of its clamping member and is then bent downwarly to form the shaft 25 for one of the spools 28 used for holding the protecting-cloth. That portion 26 forming the spindle for each of the moistening-pad holders on each of the clamping members extends downwardly in parallelism with the shaft on its connecting-piece 27 and is preferably angular in cross-section to fit in a correspondingly-shaped opening 29 in the pad-holder 30, thus preventing the same turning thereon, one of which holders is mounted on each of the spindles 26 therefor. Each of the holders 30 is formed with a recess 31 in its inner portion to receive a moistening-pad 32, which may be of any suitable absorbent material, but preferably a sponge, the

same being held in place by means of a pin 33, which pierces the pad and engages at one of its ends a groove 3 1 in one of the ends of the holder. Suitably secured at its ends to the spools 28 is a strip of cloth 35, whichis wound about equally on each of said spools .and is employed to protect the trousers-leg 'or-other garment or article from the heat of the creasing-irons 22 in order to prevent scorching, and said strip of cloth is also employed to facilitate the operation of creasing as well as to render the crease more durable,

which is performed by thoroughly moistening the strip by means of the pads 32 before the heated irons are passed over the strip.

By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings it -will be seen that the longitudinal portions of the-wires 27 lying under the clamping members are deflected inwardly, thus forming springs to yieldingly hold the spools 28 .in' contact with one another or will press them toward each other, so as to cause them to clamp the garment or article being creased, so that when the device is moved forwardly the strip of cloth 35 will be rewound on the spools, which will be caused to rotate by reason of their frictional contact with the, garment.

While I have shown each pair of the shafts 25 and spindles 26 made of one piece and constructed as above described, yet I do notdesire to be limited to this manner of mounting i said casing, so that when the cloth is unwound from the spools the springs thereon will be contracted, thus causing the spools to rotate on their shafts and rewind the cloth thereon in the forward movement of the device.

In Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings the handled portions of the clamping members are "shown as being provided with guards 18 and also as being connected at their outer ends by .means of a bar or rod 38, which is pivotally secured at one of its, ends to one of the bandles and is formed with a hook or catch at its other end to engage a projection 37 on the outer end of the other handle.

The operation is simple and as follows:

WVhen the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it is apparent that the protecting cloth or strip 35 will be wound in equal portions on the spools 28 therefor, thus permitting the creasing-irons 22 to be heated, which may be done by holding them over the flame of a gas-jet or otherwise. When the protecting cloth or strip 35 is thus wound on the spools, it is obvious danger of burning-thesame while heating the irons is obviated. By separating the clamping members 15 and 16, and placing them astride of the garment 4:0, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it is evident that the protecting-strip 35 will be extended across the front end of the garment, where it may be firmly held by means of a clamp 11, when bybringing the'members 15 and 16 together and moving the device rearwardly the moistoning-pads will be brought into contact with the protecting-strip on each side of the garment, thus dampening the same in advance ofthe heated creasing-irons 22, which will press the garment on each side in the movement of the device. IVhen the creaser is moved forwardly or toward the end of the garment on which the clamp 41 is secured, it is apparent that the protecting-strip 35 will be rewound on the spools 28 therefor by reason of the rotation of the spools caused by their frictional contact with the garment which is interposed therebetween, and when the con struction shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings is employed the springs 37 on the spools will facilitate the rewinding of the protectingstrip or will renderv it positive.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a trousers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members crossed and pivotally secured together between their ends, of creasing-irons mounted on said members side 'by side,.and moistening means mounted on each of said members, substantially as described.

2. In a trousers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members crossed and pivotally secured together intermediate their ends, of creasing-irons mounted on said members side by side, a moistening device mounted on each of said members and side by side, a spool journaled on each of said members, and a protecting-strip secured at its ends -to said spools, substantially as described.

I 3. In a trousers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members crossed and pivotally secured together intermediate their ends, of creasing-irons mounted on adjacent ends of said members side by side, a spool journaled on each of said members and side by side, and a protecting-strip secured at its ends to said spools, substantially as described.

4;. In a trousers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members crossed and pivotally secured together intermediate their ends, of creasing-irons mounted on adjacent ends of said members. a holder mounted on each of said members to the rear of the creasingirons, a moistening-padlocated on the inner portion of each of said holders, a spool journaled on each of the clamping members to the rear of said holders, and a protectingstrip secured at its ends to the spools, substantially as described.

5. In a trousers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members pivotally secured together intermediate their ends and each having one of its ends downturned and provided 'with an opening, of a creasing-iron having a projection on its outer surface to fit in the opening of the downturned portion of each of the clamping members, a holder mounted on each of said members to therear of the creasing-irons, a moistening-pad secured to each of said holders, a spool journaled on each of the clamping members to the rear of the holders, and a protecting-strip secured at its ends to said spools, substantially as described.

6. In a trousers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members pivotally secured together intermediate their ends, of creasingirons mounted on adjacent ends of said members side by side, a holder mounted on each of the clamping members to the rear of said irons, a moistening-pad secured to each of said holders, a spring-actuated spool journaled on each of the clamping members to the rear oi said holder, and a protecting-strip secured at its ends to said spools, substantially as described.

7. In a tronsers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members pivotally secured together intermediate their ends, of creasingirons mounted on adjacent ends of said members, each of the clamping members having two vertical openings therein at the rear of the irons, a piece passed downwardly through the two openings in each of the clamping members to form shafts and spindles, a holder mounted on each of said spindles, a moistening-pad secured to each of said holders, a spool rotatably mounted on each of said shafts, and a protecting-strip secured at its ends to said spools, substantially as described.

8. In a trousers-creaser, the combination with two clamping members pivotally secured together intermediate their ends, of creasingirons mounted on adjacent ends of said members, each of the clamping members having two vertical openings therein at the rear of the irons, a piece passed downwardly through the two openings in each of the clam ping mem-. bers to form shafts and spindles, the portion of each of said pieces forming the shaft being rearwardly and inwardly extended along the clamping member and then bent downward, a holder mounted on each of said spindles, a moistening-pad secured to each of said holders, a spool rotatably mounted on each of said shafts, and a protecting-strip secured at its ends to said spools, substantially as described.

THOMAS J. HOXVLETT.

Witnesses:

CHAs. C. TILLMAN, A. GUsTAFsoN. 

